Design Talk: Harry & Camila

Dutch industrial designer Harry Hpj van Ierssel (1966) and his partner in life and design, the Cuban-born Chilean Camila vega Faba (1971), first met in 1994 at the Domus Academy in Milan. They gained their practical experience working in the studios of such renowned Italian designers as Mattheo Thun, Guido Venturini and Stefano Giovannoni before founding their own studio, the aptly named ‘Harry & Camila’, in 1998. The following year, the couple drew international notice at the Milan furniture fair, where one of their textile designs was selected for the International Design Yearbook, No. 15.

In 2002 Harry & Camila relocated their studio to Barcelona, where they’ve become an important part of that city’s vibrant design scene. The duo began their collaboration with DEDON in 2006, with the creation of ZOFA, an innovative collection of seemingly free-floating seating forms, which won a Good Design Award in 2008. In addition to their work with DEDON, Harry & Camila have developed products for Alessi, Living Divani, Rosenthal, Covo, Fontana Arte, Koziol and Abet Laminati.

A Short Interview with the Designers:

Q: What is Design? A: An addictive but exhaustive game of lines where you try by adding, manipulating but for all deleting to set the game to your hand and be in overall control....For us design means all our life — we found each other and in it we found our passion, an occupation we think about during daytime and dream about in our sleep.

Q: What is the function of Design? A: To improve the quality of the products we daily use

Q: What is the best designer piece ever? A: We have many favorites but they can always be improved on. Therefore the best piece lays in the future ahead

Q: What motivates you? A: We think it is design itself. It is simply a way of living for people like us. In the morning we get up early. It really feels like somebody is putting an electrical plug in the wall. And then it goes literally on till we are tired and go to sleep but still than it does not stop, as the work continues in our sleep, and so and on, day after day

Q: What is the most valuable item in your possession? A: Our health and our creativity. We just need enough money to pay the bills and  be able to go to the movies and buy music, and we are a happy.

Q: What is the most difficult point during the creation of a new collection? A: It could show up any time during the process, as we are asking so much of the material and the people we work with, trying to realize what we have in mind. See ZOFA with its big size and volume but, at the same time, strength and lightness. Therefore our motto is that, until it’s finally there for real, we simply do not believe it.

Q: In your opinion, what is typical for the design of DEDON? A: The free spirit. Fresh, innovative, high-quality, cleverly-designed products you can easily relate to. The sharing of happy experiences, feelings & moments.